Zingiber officinale is one of the most widely used spices in the world for food additives. It contains zingiberone, shogaols, gingerols, pandols, β-phellandrene, curcumene, cineole, geranyl acetate, terphineol, terpenes, borneol, geraniol, limonene, β-elemene, zingiberol, linalool, α-zingiberene, β-sesquiphellandrene, β-bisabolene, zingiberenol and α-farnesene. It is one of the medicinal herbs used to treat several ailments such as cold, headache, nausea, stomach upset, diarrhoea digestive, gastrointestinal disturbances, rheumatic complains, asthma and parasitic infections. The liver is the largest viscera in the body and performs several functions such as removal of waste product and worn out cells from the blood, converting drugs into forms that can be eliminated easily etc. Liver functions can be hindered by numerous substances such as medicinal herbs ingested on daily bases. This study aimed at elucidating the cytoarchitectural distortion of the liver following the administration of ethanolic root extract of ginger using ratus norvegicus. 35 rattus norvegicus weighing 125- 200g were divided into five groups designated A, B, C, D & E. A & B were the control groups and the experimental groups C, D & E received 100mg/kg, 250mg/kg & 500mg/kg of ethanolic root extract of ginger respectively for fourteen days. The results showed constricted sinusoids, constriction of central veins and pyknotic cell nuclei. The above result showed that ethanolic root extract of ginger could distort the liver cells and this is attributed to prolonged administration and dose dependent.
Keywords: Liver, ginger, rattus norvegicus
